Amtrak, highway and transit programs would take a big hit in the proposed FY 2012 Transportation-HUD spending bill released Wednesday by House appropriators. Overall, the bill would provide $217 million less than current levels and $19.8 billion less than Obama requested. While the Transportation Department would receive a modest increase in discretionary funds, Amtrak, highway
WE ARE FACING THE MOST SERIOUS THREAT TO AMTRAK’S EXISTENCE IN MANY YEARS! Congressman John Mica, a Florida Republican, has opposed Amtrak’s existence for more than fifteen years. But now, because the Republicans won the House of Representatives in the last election, he has become Chairman of one of the most powerful committees in Congress.
The House Committee on Education and the Workforce recently continued its partisan attack on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) by approving a bill to prohibit the NLRB from doing its job of protecting workers and their right to bargain collectively. The so-called “Protecting Jobs From Government Interference Act” (HR 2587) prohibits the NLRB from
Twenty senators seek $2.2 billion for Amtrak United States Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) and 19 other senators sent a letter to the Senate Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development making a strong funding request for $2.2 billion for Amtrak’s intercity passenger-rail service in the fiscal-year 2012. In the letter the senators requested full funding
TCU President Bob Scardelletti testified before the Surface Transportation Board’s (STB) hearing on the current state of competition in the railroad industry. The hearing was held over a two day span on June 22nd and 23rd featured a variety of speakers. President Scardelletti used his allotted time to make sure the STB knew that any
Representative John Mica (R-FL) recently released a six-year surface transportation reauthorization plan totaling between $215 billion and $230 billion, drastically reducing the 2005 bill of $286 billion which, most agree, was then grossly inadequate. The proposed plan would not provide the necessary funding the country needs to maintain good quality public transportation. TCU President Bob
IAM International President Tom Buffenbarger and TCU/IAM President Bob Scardelletti joined together to send a letter to every member of the House urging them to vote no on the “Competition for Intercity Passenger Rail in America Act.” The letter states, “We are writing to ask you not to support legislation proposed by Transportation and Infrastructure
Rep. Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.) wrote an opinion piece that supports the Amtrak High Speed Rail system and rejects the northeast corridor privatization efforts currently being undertaken by House Republicans. In his article he writes, “Under the false promise of better service and cost savings, Republicans on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will soon unveil
House Republicans are once again pushing a proposal to dismantle Amtrak, by carving up the national network and awarding private investors the right to build and operate high-speed rail service between Washington and Boston. While the highly profitable Northeast Corridor would be privatized under the GOP plan, less profitable routes would remain part of the
In a letter to Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), TCU expressed support for retiree health coverage currently before the Senate. The bill would provide an additional five billion dollars in funding for the Early Retiree Reinsurance Program. “Insurance for older Americans is more than four times more expensive than coverage for young
